The Light

Soldiers in war come back with the thousand yard stare.
This phenomenon, I have heard of
But never have I witnessed it.

Then came the setting down of a beloved friend.
His collar downturned, I held in my hand,
The only restlessness exuding from myself;
He, an overly calm, wise sage of a man,
Long whiskers down the sides of his face.

Then as a last shuddering breath left him,
His eyes sought a far off plain.
Somewhere beyond where I imagine I have ever seen.
His body, gave a quick tug,
Honest brown eyes still fixated on that horizon,
Then relaxation,
The soft tang in the nose of urine,
Muscles void of electric impulses,
Brain going dark,
The light inside him vanishing behind that far off horizon.